Research Grants

2006 Maxwell Studentship Recipient - Cory Dobson

Curbing gentrification
Cory Dobson spent the past year exploring the quirky shops, cafés and historic homes
in the Grandview-Woodlands area of Vancouver. A recipient of The Royal Canadian Geographical
Society’s Maxwell Studentship
in Human Geography, he is studying how the east-end neighbourhood retained its unique character
and kept gentrification at bay.

Gentrification, which involves the replacement of one social group with another, has traditionally
meant the ousting of the working class by the wealthier middle class. While gentrification
may bring increased property values and the perception of lower crime rates and safer streets,
it often does so at the expense of affordable housing, independent businesses and support services,
such as drop-in centres.

Despite Grandview-Woodlands’ proximity to downtown Vancouver and the influx of young residents,
the area has diversified without reducing its base of affordable housing units. “We’re seeing
what appears to be a successful community resistance to gentrification,” says Dobson, a master’s
student in human geography at the University of British Columbia, “probably because the residents
want to preserve the diversity.”

Historically, the area is no stranger to change. At the turn of the 19th century, it boomed
with British tradesmen. Following the First World War, Chinese, Italian and eastern European
immigrants transformed the area into a multicultural community. Today, it is one of the most
vibrant market regions in Canada, with a mixture of industrial, single-family and multi-family
residences. Commercial Drive, the 15-block-long spine of the neighbourhood, supports 300 eclectic
businesses, most owner-operated. “One of the strengths of Commercial Drive is its diversity,” says
Dobson. “We’ve always had a great mix here.”

Vancouver developers may pay a penalty when tearing down or renovating singleroom units in
the downtown core. Montréal and Toronto are encouraging builders to designate at least
20 percent of new projects for affordable housing. But Dobson says these strategies are not
enough. By comparing heavily gentrified areas in Vancouver, such as Kitsilano, with communities
like Grandview-Woodlands that not experienced thesocio-economic shift, he hopes to identify
factors that will help communities retain affordable housing.

“There is a lot of pressure for development in Vancouver, but it’s getting to the point where
there is no place for people to live,” says Dobson. “When society places an emphasis on preserving
affordable housing, it can have a huge impact.”